Various insulative materials or combinations of insulative materials can be used to insulate buildings. Some of the insulative materials include spray foams, loosefill insulation, and batts of fibrous insulation.
Spray foam insulation can include materials that are mixed at the building site and applied with a sprayer. The sprayer can be configured to introduce the spray foam insulation into joints, cavities, and penetrations of the building ceilings, floors and walls. After setting, the spray foam insulation can be effective in reducing air infiltration into the building. Spray foam insulation can be used in combination with subsequently installed insulative materials such as loosefill insulation and batts of fibrous insulation.
In contrast to spray foam insulation, loosefill insulation material includes a multiplicity of discrete, individual tufts, cubes, flakes or nodules. Loosefill insulation material can be applied to buildings by blowing the loosefill insulation material into insulation cavities, such as sidewall cavities or an attic of a building. Loosefill insulation material can be made from glass fibers, although other mineral fibers, organic fibers, and cellulose fibers can be used. The distribution of the loosefill insulation material into an insulation cavity typically uses a blowing wool distribution machine that conditions the loosefill insulation material and feeds the conditioned loosefill insulation material pneumatically through a distribution hose.
In addition to application of the spray foam insulation during construction of new buildings, it may be desirable to retrofit existing buildings with spray foam insulation. In these situations, existing previously-applied insulative materials, such as for example loosefill insulation, may need to be removed prior to installation of the spray form insulation.
It would be advantageous if existing, previously-applied loosefill insulation material could be easily removed from a building.